


Stories of the Second Self: Ghostly Watcher in the Window

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [4]
Category: National Guard - Fandom, Urban Fantasy - Fandom, lockdown - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 17:13:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: Months after the revelation of real supernaturals living among humans social order has collapsed, forcing the Ohio National Guard to go from city to city and town by town to restore order. To do that, the 37th Special Troops Battalion is reorganized as a special unit ideally suited to quelling violence, both by humans and supernaturals.
Series: Alter Idem [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: Ghostly Watcher in the Window

"Cap," Jerrod called out, keeping his rifle trained toward the window, "Got another one."

With a fire team in tow from First Squad, Captain Gonzales trotted over. "He's a shitload paler than the last one."

Since the world had turned upside down, Jerrod spent that last five months on active duty in The Guard. His unit was on its way to Cincinnati, checking every town and suburb on the way.

"What do you wanna do, Sir?" Jerrod asked.

"I'm going to guess he hasn't fed for nearly a week," Gonzales said, leaning side to side in front of the window, and then waved to his side.

"Someone check that door."

"It's unlocked, Cap," another Guardsman replied.

"He's not trapped," Gonzales surmised, "And yet he hasn't been roaming around feeding on survivors."

"Word's got to have gone around that we're putting down vampires who're caught Open Feeding," Jerrod suggested, "He's probably waiting until we're gone."

"We only got here last night," Gonzales said, turning to look at Jerrod, and then looked in the window past the rather placid vampire. "And I don't see any police scanners or other radios."

"Okay Sir, so... what now?" Jerrod asked again with uncertainty.

"We'll go in and talk to him," Captain Gonzales answered, "The whole platoon, in case he's got any clever ideas."

Jerrod opened the door, but wasn't willing to be the first inside. His platoon had taken down Open Feeders, werewolf street packs, and one giant who, it was ascertained after the fact, was just desperate not dangerous.

Gonzales and two of the guys from First Squad went inside, with the other two securing the door. While guns were useless on vampires with regular ammunition, someone on the west coast discovered that using old white phosphorous rounds, declared unlawful by the Geneva Convention, worked wonders on the bloodsuckers, and every Guard unit since had been issued newly manufactured tracer rounds ever since. 

Jerrod was switched his clips now to the all tracer magazine, and only then dared follow his captain into the small house with cracked paint. The vampire had gone from the window over to a turned over bucket to sit down. He rocked back and forth, making Jerrod think the nightcrawler had a learning disability.

"We're the Ohio National Guard," his captain said, and then pointed at himself. "My name is Miguel Gonzales. Can you tell me your name?"

"Kyle," spoke a voice of a man, but with an inflection of a five year old.

"So, Kyle," Captain Gonzales said, looking around, "What's going on? Why are you in this house?"

"My house," Kyle the vampire answered, but appeared more nervous by the statement.

"Anyone living with you?" Gonzales asked.

"Mom and Dad," Kyle replied, and began to fidget with his fingers. "Little brother too."

"Can you tell me where they are?" Captain Gonzales inquired further.

"Inside," Kyle's answer was cryptic enough, that Jerrod became antsy.

"In the house?" Gonzales asked.

"Yes," Kyle sounded more mousy by the moment.

"Hey, you two go look around," Gonzales ordered the First Squad men, and then returned his attention to Kyle. "How old is your little brother?"

"He's seven," Kyle replied, "Seven years old."

"You know, I got a brother too," Gonzales said, softening his tone, "Except he's older than me. Go you get along with your brother?"

"He makes fun of me," Kyle said, "Calls me stupid and stuff."

"That's not nice is it?" Gonzales said.

"Makes me mad," Kyle admitted.

Jerrod's palms were sweating, and he was sure that Kyle would rush them any second now. Instead, Jerrod jumped on hearing the other two guys call out, "Cap, get over here!"

"You three stay with Kyle here," Gonzales' voice returned his practiced military tone.

"Hoo'ah!" Jerrod replied, and waved the other guys from the door.

Gonzales left the room, and Jerrod heard the captain's boots against tile. It made Jerrod think the find was in the kitchen.

"Holy shit," Gonzales iterated slow enough that Jerrod knew the captain was shocked by whatever he found.

Gonzales' footfalls were more rapid and pounded with anger. Jerrod knew that from the year he served under Gonzales.

"Keep your rifles trained on him," Gonzales ordered, his face stony and firm while studying Kyle. "You're going to tell me what happened here."

"Something bad," Kyle curled up and hugged his knees like a kid who knew he was in trouble. "I didn't do it."

"Don't lie to me, son," Gonzales said, "I just saw your mom, and your dad, and your little brother, and a couple other people you didn't mentioned. I'm going to ask one more time. What did you do?"

"I hid," Kyle squeaked as if Gonzales were about to paddle him.

"No Kyle, that's not what I mean," Gonzales's face was still dead calm, but his finger stabbed back at the mysterious find. "What did you do to them? If I deem it necessary, I'll have these guys light your ass up. Now answer my question. I'll count to three."

"He came," Kyle's shuddered as he spoke, "He bit dad and hurt his neck. Mom screamed, and he hit mom. Made her sleep for a while, like Time Out. Then he bit my brother, and made him drink from his wrist. But Tim couldn't do it long enough. Tim went to heaven."

"Who is he, and how do I know it's not you?" Gonzales was losing his patients, but kept his demeanor.

"The man," Kyle replied, not getting Gonzales' question.

"What man?" Gonzales pushed, "Who are you talking about?"

"The man was a dad," Kyle's cryptic reply had Jerrod furrowing his brow.

"How do you know he was a dad?" Gonzales asked.

"People with him called him Papa Henry," Kyle said, unwilling to look at Gonzales. "He had rope hair and a suit."

"Rope hair?" Jerrod asked of Gonzales.

"Guess he means dreadlocks," Gonzales said, shaking his head, and then turned back to Kyle. "Tell me more."

"He bit me," Kyle sobbed all of a sudden, "Made me drink from his wrist like Tim. Said he would hurt Mom and send her to heaven if I stopped drinking."

"I don't get it, Cap," Jerrod said.

"He drank from my neck and I had to drink from his wrist," Kyle cried, tears flowing freely now, "He made me like this! Told me I don't get to go to heaven! I don't get to see Tim, or Mom, or Dad ever again!"

"Sir, I think he's tellin' the truth," Jerrod suggested.

"Yeah, I know," Gonzales agreed, his eyes steady on Kyle. "This is the first turning caused by a vampire I've ever seen. The rest just died and came back without explanation, but I figure this Papa Henry was experimenting. Trying to see how he could make other humans into vampires."

"Well, we're werewolves Cap," another of First Squad said, "So we're in the clear. That's how we got this assignment."

"Sir, he probably doesn't even know he has to feed," Jerrod deduced, "What do we do with him."

"Did you ever bite anyone, Kyle?" Gonzales asked.

"No," he answered right away, "Mom said biting and hitting are wrong."

"You guys, get back in here," Gonzales called back to the other room.

Once the whole First Squad fire team was together, Gonzales put a hand around Jerrod's shoulder and walked him out the front door. Once far enough he figured his voice wouldn't carry, Captain Gonzales turned to Jerrod. "What's your No Bullshit assessment?"

"Sir, we can't leave him," Jerrod offered up, and then covered his bases. "But I sure as shit don't want him with us. I think he's telling the truth, and hasn't hurt anybody. However, it's only a matter of time before he does. He may not want to, but he won't have a choice. What kind of asshole does that to a mentally disabled person?"

"A guy goin' round with a the title of voodoo witch or priest," Gonzales answered, "That's why he was called Papa Henry. With everything turning weird it means he's got real voodoo power, and not just mind-fuck games. A vampire to top it all off. Goddamn!"

"You know shit's not going to end well for him, Sir," Jerrod said.

"Hmm...," Gonzales drew out, before looking back, "It's all about perspective. You're right, we're not leaving him to become a problem."

Gonzales walked back to the house, and sent the first team out, before closing the door and spoke, "Do you miss your family, Kyle?"

"Yes," Kyle wept.

"The man lied to you," Gonzales said, getting a look from Jerrod before continuing, "You've been a good boy. You didn't hurt anyone, so that means you can still see Tim again. Do you want that? Do you want to see mom and dad again?"

"Yes," Kyle's voice quivered with that meekly squeak to it.

"I want you to cover your eyes like this," Gonzales demonstrated for Kyle. "And no peeking or it won't happen."

Kyle beamed at the promise, and covered his eyes with his palms. "Okay, I'm ready."

Gonzales drew his sidearm and slowly pulled the slide action so that the click wasn't loud enough to notice. Then he aimed at Kyle's head. "What kind of game will you play with Tim first, Kyle?"

"Hide and...," Kyle managed to say, before the pistol discharge.


End file.
